Plans

Disclaimer:I do not own pokemon

I treaded the water lazily, flicking my tail every once in a while to swerve past the thick water plants scattered throughout the lake. Like all the other eevee in my tribe, I was raised close to the water and felt a deep affinity to it. I do not know how most other Eon clans and tribes go about things, but kits of New Forest tribe are born knowing what they would someday evolve into. It was no different for me; the moment my paws first touched water I knew becoming a vaporeon was my destiny. The weightlessness of water astounded me; with one paw stroke I could glide several tail-meters with little energy spent.

I rolled onto my back and, using my tail as a rudder, swam with my muzzle pointed towards the afternoon sky. The fur on my tail had been cut short, leaving it smooth and tapering like a floatzel's. I'd long realized my bushy tail fur kept weighing me down in the water, and frequently enlisted the help of a Clan Scyther to keep it clipped. Other eevees that desired to become vaporeons clipped their tail fur as well, to aid in swimming and make the transition to a shorter pelt of fur easier. Training for evolution was a serious matter among New Forest Tribe members. Potential jolteons were usually the fastest and had the longest endurance, while potential flareons and vaporeons frequently practiced strengthening and breathing exercises for attacks like water gun and flamethrower. Those that wanted to become leafeons were trained in the use of medicinal herbs and tree climbing. Unlike the Ice Rock, the Moss Rock could be found in New Forest as well.

The few that aimed to become glaceons trained only for the journey they would have to undertake to reach the ice stone in Snowpoint Forest, which was only accessible by climbing over a mountain. Umbreons and Espeons were very rare, but they occurred mostly within mated eevee pairs. Respect was a given for any that managed to evolve into one of those three rare evolutions.

I yawned luxuriously and seized a floating Pamtre berry that was bobbing alongside me, biting into my prize with an eager fervor. I usually ate fish, which kept my fur slick and water resistant, but I wasn't above the occasional berry. I was half done when I realized that Onyx might not have eaten since we arrived back at the clan this morning. I mulled over possibly saving the other half of the berry for her, but quickly banished the thought. Onyx was an independent female. She would feel insulted if I brought her food even after we were back in the clan. Besides, I had once overheard her telling the mate of a Clan fighter that she was five years old, a whole two years older than me. Eons have long lifespans, so two years wasn't much of a big deal, but it was common knowledge that females of most species prefer older, more experienced males. I huffed under my breath as I bit savagely into the berry's soft skin as if it were prey. Even if I wanted her, there was no way Onyx would ever notice me.

I polished off the berry on land and licked my chest fur clean of any juice that had dropped on it. Water shed from my sleek pelt as I headed through the long grasses towards my sleeping den. Like many of the other Clan members, I preferred to live a wild life when I wasn't on duty. The sky darkened rapidly, and the insects of the night chirped from hidden perches all around me.

I stopped a few tail-meters from the entrance and sniffed the air for any unwelcome occupants. Once I was satisfied I was the only pokemon in the area, I crawled inside. The den was large and spacious, big enough for two eevees to sleep in comfortably. I gathered up the old bedding and pushed it out the entrance, then raked together a pile of rushes and arranged it comfortably on the spot where I slept.

I lay there with my tail curled comfortably around me, the heat from my own body warming the entire den. Maybe, sometime in the future I'd share this den with another, but for now I enjoyed the complete solitude.

"Storm! Get up you lazypaws!" I opened my eyes wearily to see the muzzle of a younger male eevee poking into my den.

I groaned and flicked a pebble at him, narrowly missing his nose. "Hey! Heyyy!" His muzzle disappeared from sight as he tumbled backward. He was sitting there rubbing the back of his head when I came out. It was early in the morning, but the sun still shone bright enough to hurt my sleep-weakened eyes.

"I don't see any Team Galactic members around, or forest fires, or the sky falling, so you'd better have a good reason to wake me, Lilypad!" I growled grumpily.

"It's awesome!"The half-grown eevee sprang to his paws excitedly. "Leader's giving a demonstration about our evolutions!"

My ears pricked. Leader wasn't one to offer demonstrations; he was reclusive, barely showing his face each morning before going off on his daily business. "But why would he do that?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

Lilypad tipped his head to one side. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But he said he wanted to give us all a push."

Now it was my turned to look confused. "A push?" A push towards what, though?

"That's what he told me. He's waiting for you right now, so come on!" The eevee was practically bouncing on his toes.

"He's waiting for me?" I couldn't help but chuckle. "I had no idea he even knew my name!"

"Yeah! He said he's been watching you for a long time, and likes what he sees." He shrugged.

Leader liked what he saw? I felt a prickle of curiosity. Just what was leader up to? Was I an important part of it, or was I just flattering myself? Sitting here mulling it over wasn't going to get me the answers I needed, that was for sure.

I pushed my front legs forward and stretched, then gave myself a brisk shake. "Let's go then."

Lilypad walked by my side as we headed down the slightly worn path that led to the Clan grounds. "Leader said he would start soon...he's still answering questions at the moment so we didn't miss anything," the young eevee said excitedly, his cream-tipped tail lashing eagerly.

"Hn," I replied, hiding my interest with short answers. Lilypad was one of the few eevees in the Clan I tolerated. He was currently the youngest eevee in the Clan at one year old, having been found abandoned in the middle of the forest and taken in by a mated Nidorina. Even though his trainer had neglected to take care of him properly, he insisted on wearing his collar, and preferred to sleep within the compound's walls. Without the Clan to guide him, Lilypad would have had a difficult time adjusting to the life of a wild pokemon. He was the typical brown-and-cream of most eevee, but his right hindpaw was a lighter shade of tan, and his lower back was peppered with white spots.

We reached the Clan compound in no time, taking a shortcut through the many forest paths. We ran at an easy lope, saving both time and energy. By the time we got to the courtyard I quickly realized we were the last eevees there. The rest of the Clan eevees were clustered in a circle around Leader, who was patiently answering questions.

"Ah! There you are," Leader welcomed us as we found a place to sit. Luckily, an old eevee named Barb had saved a space for the two of us and we sat down to watch.

I couldn't help but glance around to see if Onyx was present. I finally found her crouched between two smaller male eevees, looking rather annoyed as she glared at leader. Sitting a few feet away from her was Rend, who was watching her miserably. I caught his eye, and he flattened his ears in response. I lifted my lip slightly to show my canines, then looked pointedly away from him.

"Leader, can you help me?" One of the younger eevees asked.

Leader, who had currently taken the form of a dark-furred eevee, regarded him kindly. "What can I do for you?" It was then that I noticed that he was identical to Onyx herself, right down to having the same auburn pelt. Several other eevees had caught on and were darting confused glances at the irate female eevee and the Clan Leader, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. I stifled a laugh; no wonder she looked pissed!

"I want to become a jolteon," the eevee confessed. "But I'm not really fast...I know my speed would go up if I became jolteon, but I would still end up being a slower jolteon than most. And jolteons are supposed to be able to run really fast." To me, evolving into jolteon would be a nightmare; electricity and water do not mix.

"No pokemon is supposed to be anything," Leader said firmly. "While it is true that jolteons are typically fast, there are other attributes jolteons need to be able to utilize that don't include speed. It depends on how you use your new form."

The eevee looked thoughtful. "You're right," he declared, looking a little less troubled. "Thank you."

"Any more questions, before I get to the main point of this meeting?" Everyone shook their heads, though I noticed a few of them looking hesitant, as if they were too shy to speak in front of everyone.

"Good, and I will be happy to talk privately to anyone after I'm done. Now..." His voice took on a more serious note. "I realize that over the years, the Clan has acquired an unusually large amount of eevees as members. While I have no problem with this, it has come to my attention that some of you are not content with your current lifestyles or situations. That you may be missing the closeness and comfort of a real Eon clan or tribe. Am I not correct?"

Several eevees nodded in agreement. I sensed a growing amount of anticipation and excitement from everyone around me. Leader must have sensed it too, and he continued.

" There is a reason why this meeting has been focused on your potential evolutions. Therefore, I have arranged for a parcel of evolutionary stones to be sent here within the next few weeks."

"What?" I gasped.

Other eevees around me reacted the same way;some with excitement, others with plain bewilderment. Immediately an outpour of earnest conversation began as everyone turned to their neighbors and started discussing Leader's latest news as if it were gossip. I sat there, stunned, letting the ensuing wave of excited chatter wash over me. I felt strangely apprehensive, and a little fearful. It was my dream to evolve into vaporeon, to gain the ability breathe underwater and even merge with water itself. But, what if I wasn't ready yet? The New Forest tribe had elders that determined whether or not a member was worthy of evolving; no one within the Clan held that authority in the eyes of the tribe, and if I returned as a vaporeon, the elders would take it as insult and lay down a punishment.

I shivered; punishments could range from being shunned by the Tribe to banishment. Even though I had spent the last year and a half training away from New Forest, I had not yet carved out a satisfying life with the Clan. New Forest was my home; I had no other. Sighing in disappointment at not being able to evolve as soon as I wanted, I turned away from the celebrating eevees and was about to walk away when Leader spoke once more.

"There is still more that we need to discuss." Leader had only to open his mouth for everyone to fall silent. "As most of us know, the last Eon clan in Eterna Forest was wiped out by plague four years ago...in fact, some of you were a part of that clan." He inclined his head respectfully towards Barb, the old eevee. "I believe that you all have the numbers to establish a new colony here in the forest."

There was a chorus of excited howls, and Lilypad leapt to his paws, eyes shining as he yipped along with everyone else. It struck me that Leader had hit upon the one thing every eevee here was missing; a true sense of order and value that could be found only in a clan of eons. I noticed that Onyx did not look the least bit surprised at any of Leader's latest news. I began to wonder if she already knew...

"But who will be the clan Head?" I craned my neck to see Rend stand up as he addressed the Leader.

"That is for you all to decide," Leader replied. "But strength is not the only thing one should look for in a leader. Intelligence and fairness are also important qualities." He casually shifted into his Espeon form and fixed the crowd with a penetrating gaze, his tail swaying from side to side like an arbok charming a rattata into it's mouth. "I want you all to consider my idea. And yes, if any of you still wish to stay a part of the Sinnoh Rescue Clan, you may do so."

"Must this new Eterna clan swear allegiance to the Rescue Clan of Sinnoh?" An eevee around my age asked.

"No," said Leader. "This will be a new, independent clan. Anyone who joins it is still welcome to come back here any time they like...although it is my wish to unite all the major pokemon groups within Eterna, if not all of Sinnoh."

I considered this new piece of information. Living here in a real clan did not sound so bad, but what did the new clan have to offer me? And, even if a new eon clan was established in Eterna, there was still a slight problem. Before I could ask, Rend beat me to the punch.

"That sounds all nice and lovely when you say it like that, but in case you haven't noticed, there is a considerable lack of female eevees present." He pointed this out while darting obvious glances at Onyx. "Which means no new generation to take over the clan in the future."

"If you're so worried about the lack of females, why not look for mates within species like vulpix or growlithe?" Onyx said, looking around.

"If the sire is an eevee, then most of those matings would result in more vulpixes or growlithes," Barb said awkwardly, as if reluctant to side against her. Onyx narrowed her eyes and suddenly twisted her neck to lick at the fur on her shoulder with rough, angered strokes.

"You bring up a valid point," Leader conceded. "But right now, establishing order and marking clan territory is of more importance."

As the others began pelting Leader with more questions, Lilypad nudged me. "You know what?"

"What?" I asked, half-listening to him as I angled an ear towards Leader's assembly.

"I think you would make a great clan leader!" He squirmed excitedly, not noticing the looks of alarm some of the nearby eevees flashed us. I stared at him with wide eyes.

Honestly, the thought had never occured to me, but the way Lilypad said it sounded very appealing. I was confident in my strength, at least against the other eevees, but what would be waiting for me once I became a leader? Was I really prepared to have the lives of many others shoved into my paws, to do with as I wished? I glanced at Onyx, who sat several tail-meters away, looking lost in her own thoughts. What would she think of me then?

Shorter chapter this time, I had a brief spurt of inspiration so I had to write as quickly as I could. I decided to write a bit about each character, just to get everyone caught up with who's who and what's what.

Onyx-Darker brown, almost auburn small female eevee. Lost her clan in a plague and was at one time owned by a rich old woman. Was abandoned at the Clan compound by her mate, Axel, while she was pregnant with their first kit. Has not decided on an evolution.

Storm-Golden brown male eevee, with slender limbs and a sleek, lean body. Is currently spending his training mission as a Clan member. Has little interest in females and desires to become a vaporeon.

Leader-The Leader of the Sinnoh Rescue League, and owner of the Clan building. A talented ditto able to transform in ways other ditto can't. Grew up as a stud in the home of a pokemon breeder until it ran away with a female vaporeon it fell in love with.

Rend- Lighter brown male eevee with darker brown spots along his back.

Barb- Older, graying male eevee who lost his mate in the same plague that took Onyx's family.

Lilypad- Youngest eevee in the Clan, and trains alongside Storm in becoming a member of the Sinnoh Rescue League. Arguably the most mischievous pokemon in the Clan, frequently playing pranks on everyone, including Leader himself! Typical brown-and cream fur pattern with a lighter left hindpaw and several white spots near the base of his tail. Sometimes mistaken as female.(And currently my favorite character)

I might need a new name for the clan; something that fits nice. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them